Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler light up Abu Dhabi Championship

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jan/15/rory-mcilroy-first-round-abu-dhabi-championship

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The pairing of Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler always looked likely to provide a spectacular start to the golfing season. It duly did, with the rivals signing for 67s after completing their first rounds at the HSBC Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi.

There were moments of brilliance. McIlroy’s opening tee shot did not pitch until 310 yards down the 10th fairway. At the third, he produced a Seve-esque 95-yard recovery from a horrendous lie on the edge of a bunker; he was subsequently to hole out for birdie.

Fowler reached the turn in 34, two better than his Northern Irish contemporary. McIlroy played his inward half in just 31 strokes, thereby endorsing his clear desire to win an event which has frustratingly eluded him so far.

“I was just trying to keep up with Rickie to start with,” McIlroy said. “He was the one making birdies. But I got myself on a nice little run around the middle of the round.

“I will need to do a lot more of that over the next few days if I want to have a chance to win. The result was good, 67 was pleasing, but how I got there in the end wasn’t quite as pleasing. I didn’t drive the ball particularly well and, with the rough the way it is, I know I’m going to have to do a better job of that.

“It wasn’t glamorous at times. There are a couple of things I need to work on.”

If this was the latest indicator of McIlroy’s high standards, it also served as a reminder of what separates him from others. That is, an ability to card low scores even when short of his best.

Fowler’s decision to travel to the Middle East has provided both a boost to the tournament and a snapshot of the Californian’s ambition. Precious few players from the United States in recent years have shown the same willingness as Fowler to embrace challenges in foreign lands.

“I am enjoying myself,” said the amiable Fowler. “When you travel, you learn more about yourself and learn about new places. I haven’t actually played too much on the European Tour but when I have, I have seemed to play well.”

This is just Fowler’s third start since the Ryder Cup last September, meaning he arguably had cause to be happier than McIlroy with a five-under-par start. The pair, it seems, bring out the best in each other.

“I can’t get rid of him,” said Fowler with a smile. “I keep getting paired with him. We have had some groupings over weekends, which is obviously a good thing.

“Rory is the best player in the world so if I am hanging around him a little bit, I am obviously doing the right things.

“We are both off to a good, solid start. It was nice to see Rory throw in a few birdies and get things going on the back nine. Hopefully we can keep it going and have some fun this weekend.”

It would, of course, be disrespectful to disregard the claims of others. By the close of play on day one, Martin Kaymer led the field at eight under par. The German, who has prevailed three times in Abu Dhabi before, reached a double-figure birdie total.

“I am not sure if I have ever made 10 birdies in one round before,” Kaymer said. “I hit a lot of fairways, my irons were quite sharp and I putted well. It’s very difficult to shoot a bad score when you play like this.

“Now the goal is not to compare myself tomorrow to what happened today. Tomorrow will be a new start.”

Tom Lewis had cause for Thursday cheer. The young Englishman celebrated a hole in one at the 7th, thereby collecting a brand new Cadillac car for his efforts. Lewis used just a seven-iron for the 194-yard tee shot, albeit admitting afterwards that the wind was helping him.

“I was just pleased that I didn’t have to putt,” Lewis said. “The green is pretty tricky to read there. Last year I had a hole in one, my first hole in one, at the Scottish Open in Aberdeen. I won champagne for that so this time it’s quite nice to win a car.”